Constable & Toop
Registered by silverstarry of Berkeley, California USA on 7/13/2014
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
Proof copy intended for release.
This was an enjoyable read. I had no idea what the book was about when I picked it up, but I liked the title and the cover art (the author said that the book was inspired by seeing a funeral home called Constable & Toop in Honor Oak so it's not just me!).
Sam Toop, a 14 year old boy living in London in 1884, can see ghosts. His father is the co-owner of a funeral parlor, so Sam believes that his supernatural gift is a result of growing up around death. One night, Sam's heretofore unknown Uncle Jack shows up due to some trouble with the law and asks Sam's father Charles to let him hide at their house for a week.
In the ghost world, Lapsewood works for the Ghost Bureau. He is unexpectedly transferred from his desk job to another department. His first assignment is to find Doris, a coworker who has disappeared. While looking for her, he meets Tanner, the ghost of a 10 year old boy. Tanner is a rogue ghost, unregistered with the Ghost Bureau and running amok, not following ghost rules. Tanner is one of the few ghosts who is kind to ghost dogs who are considered an anomaly. His favorite is Lil Mags, named after his mother. Lapsewood asks cheeky Tanner to help him find Doris.
Tanner warns Lapsewood to be careful entering buildings due to a phenomenon called Black Rot which occurs when a building loses its ghost. Not only does the building begin to rot, but the next ghost to enter becomes trapped inside, forced to become the building's next ghost.
Clara Tiltman lives with her parents in Aysgarth House which is also occupied by its former owner Lady Aysgarth who is now a ghost who loathes the current occupants. One night Mrs. Tiltman's sister Hetty brings Reverand Fallowfield as her dinner guest and he performs an exorcism that rids the house of Lady Aysgarth (who the Tiltmans had been completely unaware of).
Eventually all of the characters both living and dead cross paths. Lapsewood tries to prevent the Black Rot from spreading, Clara tries to investigate Reverand Fallowfield and more of London's ghosts. Tanner continues investigating buildings with ghost occupants. One of my favorite minor characters is the Marquis, who Lapsewood meets when he is tossed into the equivalent of ghost jail. His unending optimism in the face of an eternity of imprisonment was refreshing.
You might think that a book about murder and ghosts would be depressing or scary, but I didn't find it to be either. It was entertaining and interesting but also respectful of death. A great quote: "Many will judge [him] for his actions in life. He was flawed as all men are flawed men. But now that he is dead, we search for the strength to forgive. The dead deserve our respect. They can do no further harm, and gone is any hope of redemption. If the dead live on in our memories, let us try to remember them well."
There were definitely some elements of this book that reminded me of Harry Potter and other books (yes, I know the Hero with a Thousand Faces!) but in a familiar rather than distracting "this is a total rip off" kind of way.
Sam Toop, a 14 year old boy living in London in 1884, can see ghosts. His father is the co-owner of a funeral parlor, so Sam believes that his supernatural gift is a result of growing up around death. One night, Sam's heretofore unknown Uncle Jack shows up due to some trouble with the law and asks Sam's father Charles to let him hide at their house for a week.
In the ghost world, Lapsewood works for the Ghost Bureau. He is unexpectedly transferred from his desk job to another department. His first assignment is to find Doris, a coworker who has disappeared. While looking for her, he meets Tanner, the ghost of a 10 year old boy. Tanner is a rogue ghost, unregistered with the Ghost Bureau and running amok, not following ghost rules. Tanner is one of the few ghosts who is kind to ghost dogs who are considered an anomaly. His favorite is Lil Mags, named after his mother. Lapsewood asks cheeky Tanner to help him find Doris.
Tanner warns Lapsewood to be careful entering buildings due to a phenomenon called Black Rot which occurs when a building loses its ghost. Not only does the building begin to rot, but the next ghost to enter becomes trapped inside, forced to become the building's next ghost.
Clara Tiltman lives with her parents in Aysgarth House which is also occupied by its former owner Lady Aysgarth who is now a ghost who loathes the current occupants. One night Mrs. Tiltman's sister Hetty brings Reverand Fallowfield as her dinner guest and he performs an exorcism that rids the house of Lady Aysgarth (who the Tiltmans had been completely unaware of).
Eventually all of the characters both living and dead cross paths. Lapsewood tries to prevent the Black Rot from spreading, Clara tries to investigate Reverand Fallowfield and more of London's ghosts. Tanner continues investigating buildings with ghost occupants. One of my favorite minor characters is the Marquis, who Lapsewood meets when he is tossed into the equivalent of ghost jail. His unending optimism in the face of an eternity of imprisonment was refreshing.
You might think that a book about murder and ghosts would be depressing or scary, but I didn't find it to be either. It was entertaining and interesting but also respectful of death. A great quote: "Many will judge [him] for his actions in life. He was flawed as all men are flawed men. But now that he is dead, we search for the strength to forgive. The dead deserve our respect. They can do no further harm, and gone is any hope of redemption. If the dead live on in our memories, let us try to remember them well."
There were definitely some elements of this book that reminded me of Harry Potter and other books (yes, I know the Hero with a Thousand Faces!) but in a familiar rather than distracting "this is a total rip off" kind of way.
Journal Entry 3 by silverstarry at Little Free Library at 201 Palm Drive in Piedmont, California USA on Sunday, September 21, 2014
Released 9 yrs ago (9/20/2014 UTC) at Little Free Library at 201 Palm Drive in Piedmont, California USA
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